Google Rolls Out Standalone ‘Realtime Search’ Page – Twitter has real-time search and it’s good, but Google’s new Realtime search page, which “lets you see up-to-the-second social updates, news articles and blog posts about hot topics around the world” takes it to a whole new level. There’s no doubt, Realtime is quite simply an excellent showcase for the awesome power of the Google algorithm.

‘LOL is this you?’ spam spreading via Facebook chat – Facebook on Friday afternoon was investigating what appeared to be a new spam scheme that results in users getting messages from friends over Facebook chat that have malicious links. The messages say “LOL is this you?” and are accompanied by a link that looks like it leads to a video on Facebook.

Some Linux Distros Vulnerable to Version of DLL Hijacking Bug – In the wake of all of the stories about the Windows DLL hijacking bug, it appears that certain Linux distributions may be vulnerable to a similar problem related to the way that Linux handles a specific variable in some cases. The bug apparently was introduced via a Debian patch last year.

DLL Hijacking: Facts and Fiction – It’s been interesting watching DLL hijacking grow from interesting phenomena to a full-on snowball of hype and FUD over the last few days. As of this writing Google turns up 152 news articles on the subject. The vast majority of coverage is calling this a “new class of attack” and pointing out how “over 30 zero-day vulnerabilities have been found so far!”. The only way to paraphrase many of the headlines is: “Panic!”

Repurposing an Old Computer for Any Room in the House – Most of us have our computers on our desks or our laps, but there are so many other places in and out of our homes that can make a great spot for an old PC. The smaller your PC the more places you can put it, so laptops are obvious choices for moving around to different parts of your home. We’ve posted before with suggestions for repurposing an old laptop so be sure to check those out as well.

Network security challenges faced by universities – Striking a balance between an open yet secure network remains a challenge for university IT departments. While universities are often on the cutting edge of innovation, they face complications when it comes to enforcing IT policies. In some cases, this has led to staggering data breaches.

Company News:

Blockbuster to file for “pre-planned bankruptcy” – It seems that Blockbuster video/DVD rental chain is lumbering one step closer to oblivion as it plans to file for something it calls “pre-planned bankruptcy.” The company is the latest victim of our move to a digital, ethereal existence.

10 Things We Don`t Get About Dell – Dell is a perplexing company. Years ago, it was atop the tech industry with its direct sales model. Not only was it selling computers at an astounding rate, but the corporate world was quite happy with its PCs. Everything was going right for the Texas-based technology company, even though it shunned the channel with its direct-only sales model. And then all that changed.

Off Topic (Sort of):

Ogling beautiful women a natural reflex for men – You’re at a café with the woman in your life when your eyes move inexorably toward another woman walking by. In one-fifth of a second, before the conscious mind has had a chance to react, the male brain has rendered judgment on whether the oncoming stranger is sexually hot. If the ruling is favourable, physical manifestations are immediate. Pupils dilate, heart rate spikes, testosterone surges and the eyes assume a vacant stare — sure signs that the “man trace” has set in.

Computer bloopers and blunders from the technically clueless – From 1994 to 2002 Rod Shelley worked as a PC technician at a major computer retail store in the US. After seeing all kinds of wacky, operator-induced computer issues, Shelley decided to start documenting them. He wanted to inject a little humor into the often-frustrating world of technology and hopefully educate a few of the technically clueless along the way.

Canadians arrested in Facebook porn ring – Two Canadians are among 11 people arrested for allegedly being part of an international child pornography ring that operated through Facebook. However, Australian officials are furious at the popular social network site, which they say had discovered the illicit profiles but repeatedly failed to notify police. The arrests, announced Friday by Australian police, include six people in Britain, three in Australia and the two in Canada.

Today’s Quote:

“A complex system that works is invariably found to have evolved from a simple system that works.”

– John Gaule

Today’s Free Downloads:

KeePass Password Safe Portable – Securely take your email, internet and other passwords with you when you are away from your primary PC. The program’s interface is plain and intuitive. Users are first prompted to set a master password that controls access to KeePass. Then it’s simply a matter of entering the Web sites that you visit frequently–or, perhaps more importantly, infrequently–and their log-in information.

Blogroll

Chicago Mac/PC Support
I have twenty five years experience and Apple Certified Technician and Microsoft Certified System Administrator (MCSA). It is my goal to help others by providing this free information.

Confessions of a Pop Culture Addict
Sam Tweedle is a writer and pop culture addict who has been entertaining and educating fans of the pop culture journey for a decade. His writing has been featured in The National Post, CNN.com, and Filmfax magazine.

Digsites – An Interactive Agency
Digsites is a Philadelphia based interactive and internet development company founded in 2005. Our primary focus is set on providing personalized client solutions including Lead Generation Software, Websites, Web Services, Intranets, Social Networks Integ

FindTheBest
FindTheBest is an unbiased, fact-driven decision engine. We organize and present data in a consumer-friendly format so that you can make quick and informed decisions based on what’s important to you.

Guru Habits
You will find an abundance of articles and other resources on this site to help you achieve your personal development goals in many areas of your life. If you are looking for deep discussions on complex psychological theories, you’ll need to look elsew

Kensington SafeZone
This blog is all about physical security, and if you’re an IT Manager or SMB owner, this is the perfect reference for you. Here, you can find commentary on the latest industry news, security best practices and links to our various smart made simple™ s

Malware Removal Guide for Windows
This guide will help you clean your computer of malware. If you think your computer is infected with a virus or some other malicious software, you may want to use this guide.

Stop Badware.org
StopBadware is the only not for profit organization focused on protecting the public from badware websites. From our start as a project of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, we have been led by top thinkers in the fields

TuneUp (Blog about Windows)
Our blog is written by a team made up of certified Microsoft experts, authors, and editors from major computer magazines. The people behind this blog also head up one of the most successful tuning suites around, called TuneUp Utilities 2011.

Why Evolution Is True
Jerry A. Coyne, Ph.D is a Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolution at the University of Chicago and a member of both the Committee on Genetics and the Committee on Evolutionary Biology.